Title glory as stars go out with a bang
IF this was to be the last time many of the Neptunes’ contingent took to the court, they needed to make it count.
That was the rousing message from coach Judy Bulley, one that inspired a ruthless period of play in claiming the Townsville City Premier League netball title.
For several of the club’s stars, Saturday night’s 53-42 victory over Saints marked the end of an era – including key duo Georgia Bulley and Kathleen Mocelutu.
The pair will instead embark on their medical careers next year, and their respective journeys to the premiership made the win all the sweeter.
Nikea Lapham will also part with the side as she relocates to Western Australia with the air force.
Bulley’s story is one of overcoming adversity, after she broke her back in a traumatic fall at Alligator Creek last year and feared she would never walk again.
As for Mocelutu, a series of season-ending injuries to herself and sister Estel deprived them of the chance to play alongside each other until this season.
Those stories of hardship and rising from the ashes were part of the catalyst that took them to the minor premiership, and the opportunity to have one last hurrah took them all the way to the silverware.
“This was the last time we’d play together so we wanted to do it for each other and leave everything on the court,” Mocelutu said.
“Me personally playing with my sister was a big one. Then playing with Georgia, we’ve played together since we were about 12 years old and Judy has coached us so it was a big moment to play our last game together.
“It’s quite surreal actually, it hasn’t really sunk in yet.”
Despite their dominance in a disrupted season, Neptunes had a tougher road to the final than pundits would have anticipated.
In the first semi-final, Saints proved too good and earned themselves a direct passage to the big dance – and with that a week off to prepare.
It meant Neptunes had to confront a relentless Burdekin outfit – a tooth-and-nail thriller that went into several periods of overtime to break the deadlock. But that, according to Mocelutu, is what put them in such good stead for the grand final.
They knew what it took to fight through tough times, they knew what they needed to change to square the ledger with Saints. Even at the end of the second term, when the game was still in the balance at 25-21, Mocelutu said composure under pressure proved the difference, and none exhibited this more than her sister who claimed the MVP mantle.
“I think what really got us there was we didn’t get frazzled and we stayed calm the entire time. We played our own game, we didn’t get caught up in the hype of the grand final,” she said.
“She (Estel) played an unreal game. She defended all the way down the court and was over every single ball.
“It was pretty amazing to watch as a bigger sister – I was pretty proud.”